Governor mechanism.



Patented Oct. 22, 190|. P. M. LINCOLN &.'L. B. STILLWELL.

, No. 685,l56.

GOVERNOR MECHANISM.

(Apphcation tiled May 11, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

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No. 6a5,|56. Patented om. 22, 190|.

P. M. LINCOLN L L. B. srlLLwELL.

GOVERNOR MECHANISM.

(Apphcaton tiled May 11, 1901.) `(lo Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL'M. LINCOLN, OF NIAGARA FALLS, AND LEWIS B. STILLVELL, OF NEV YORK,N. Y.

GOVERNOR MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,156, dated October22, 1901.

Application filed May 1l, 1901.

To @ZZ whom, it' may concern-.-

Beit known that we, PAUL M. LINCOLN, residing at Niagara Falls, in thecounty of Niagara, and LEWIS B. STILLWELL, residing at NewYork, in thecounty of New York, State of New York, citizens of the United States,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Governor Mechanism,of which the' following is a description, reference being had ro to theaccompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference markedthereon.

Our invention relates to controlling devices or governors forWater-wheels or other prime movers, particularly those which areemployed to drive electric generators; and the object of the inventionis to provide a governing mechanism which will maintain such relativeconditions of load and speed in the machinery driven by the prime moveras may 2o be desired. It has been further designed to provide agoverning system capable of regulating two or more electric generatorsdriven by independent power units through automatically varying thepower su pplied thereto to correspond with changes in load and speed,

maintaining at the same time those conditions of equilibrium which areessential to the practical operation of the machines in parallel. Theinvention is not, however, limgo ited to the control of prime moversused to drive electric generators, but is applicable to many cases wheremachinery other than electrical is driven.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a view showing diagrammatically the general arrangement ofthe parts of the apparatus when a single unit is to be governed, andFig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the system applied to severalunits operating in parallel. l

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, 1 is a turbine water-wheel or othersource of power or prime mover which is arranged to drive the electricgenerator 2, supplying current through the circuit 3 4 to thetranslating devices 5. In the generator-circuit 4 is placed aload-responsive device A, which is here conventionally shown as anammeter; but in ac- 5o tual practice a wattmeter or similar instrumentwould preferably be employed. When Serial No. 59.802. (No model.)

the load upon the prime mover consists of machiney other thanelectrical, some form of dynamometer introduced between the prime moverand the load could be employed, and such means might be desirable evenin the case of electric generators. In any event it is only necessarythat changes in load should produce some effect upon the control whetherthis is effected electrically or mechanically. This load-responsivedevice, as here shown, consists of a solenoid G and a core 7, the latterbeing attached to a lever-arm 11, pivoted at 10 and held in a normalposition by some means, such as a spring 40. A contact-linger 12 iscarried at the end of the lever 1l, and its normal position is midwaybetween the contact-disks 13 and 14, carried upon a sleeve 17, which isin turn mounted upon a shaft 36, the speed of which is to be governed.The shaft 36 would ordinarily derive its motion from the shaft 35 of thegenerator 2; but our invention need not necessarily be limited to sucharrangement.

The sleeve 17 carries on its upper end or is attached to the weight 4l,which is associated with the ball-governor 18 and adapted to be raisedand lowered as the speed of the shaft 36 is increased or diminished. Thedisks 13 and 14 are so arranged that current may enter and leave themthrough the wires 15 and 16, while the contact 12 and lever 11 areconnected to wire 19.

The valve-stem of the prime mover is represented at 29, a rotation ofwhich in one direction increases the power supplied thereto and in thereverse direction diminishes the same.

22 and 23 are magnetic clutches keyed to the shaft or valve-stem 29. Oneterminal of the clutch 22 is connected to conductor 15 and disk 13, andone terminal of clutch 23 is connected to conductor 1G and disk 14. Theopposite terminals of both clutches are connected to a common conductor21, which leads to one terminal of a battery or other source of current,(represented at 20.) The other terminal of battery 2O is connected tocontact 12 through the lever 11 and conductor 19. Either clutch 22 or 23is adapted to frictionally engage the face of its corresponding gear 28or 24 when excited.

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Gears 28 and 24 are free to revolve upon the shaft 29 when out offrictional engagement with the clutch members and are constantly rotatedin opposite directions, gear 24 being in mesh with gear 25 upon theshaft 42 and gear 28 with gear 2G, also upon shaft 42, through theintermediate reversing-gear 27. Shaft 42 is continuously rotated bytheprime mover 1 through the gears and 34.

The load-responsive device A rests upon a supporting-standard 8, whichis carried by the threaded rod 9, passing through the supporting-nut 39,which in turn is supported by the fixed base 43. A bevel-gear 3S issplined upon the rod 9 and engages with thelgear 37 upon shaft 32, whichthrough the gears 30 and 31 is given a movement proportional to themovement of the valve-stem 29. Any movement of the valve stem or rodthus causes a corresponding movement on the part ot' the gear 38 and avertical movement of the rod 9 and the load-responsive device, togetherwith contact 12. The movement of contact 12 will be upward or downwardaccording as the valve-rod is moved to a position of lesser or greaterpower-supply.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming the speed to beconstant and the disks 13 and 14 to remain in the position shown, anyappreciable increase in load will cause the coil 6 to attract the core 7and bring the contact 12 against the disk 13, thus exciting the magneticclutch 22 and causing the valve-stem 29 to be revolved in the directionof rotation of the gear 24--viz., to a position of greaterpower-supply.The rotation of the valve-stem and theincrease of power su pplied to theprime mover will be continued until the downward movement of theload-responsive device communicated through the medium of the shaft 32is sufficient to disengage the contact 12 from the disk 13. When thisoccurs, equilibrium will be restored. A decrease in load will causecontact between the finger 12 and disk 14 and a closing of the valveuntil the upward movement of the load-responsive device breaks thecontact between 12 and 14. Since, however, the position of the disks 13and 14 is dependent upon the speed of the shaft 36, the conditions underwhich equilibrium will be reached will depend on the relation betweenthe movement of the contact 12 effected by the load-responsive deviceand that effected by the valve-rod. If the change in position of contact12 effected by the loadresponsive device is greater than its change inposition as effected by the movement of the valve-rod corresponding toany given increment of load, then the speed of the shaft 36 willincrease with an increase in load and diminish with a decrease in load.Thus when an increase in load causes contact between finger 12 and disk13 and the excitation of clutch 22 the downward movement communicated tothe load-responsive device when the valve has been opened to a positioncorresponding to the increase in load will not be esame sufficient tobreak the contact with disk 13. The valve will therefore continue toopen, and with the surplus of power thus supplied the speed willincrease until by the combined upward movement of the disk 13, caused bythe ball-governor or speed-responsive device 1S, and the downwardmovement of l2, caused by the additional opening of the valve, thecircuit is opened and equilibrium restored at the increased load andspeed. On the other hand, if the change in position of contact 12effected by the load-responsive device is less than the change inposition effected by the movement of the valve-rod corresponding to anygiven increment in load then the speed will decrease with an increase inload, and vice versa, for in the case of an increase, on account of therelation now supposed to exist, the movement of the valve will break theactuating-circuit at the contact 12 before it has been opened far enoughto provide for a supply of power corresponding to the increment in load.A drop in the speed of the machines results from this insufficiency inpower-supply, and the disk 13 follows the contact 12 downward, causing afurther opening of the valve until a position of equilibrium is reached,where the increment in load can be maintained by the smaller incrementin power-supply at the reduced speed. In a similar manner it is evidentthat a decrease in load under these circumstances will be followed by anincrease in speed. If the change in position effected by theload-responsive device is equal to the change in position effected bythe movement of the valve-rod corresponding to any given increment inload, then the speed will be independent of the load. This arrangementof con trolling elements pos- Sesses marked advantages in governingalternators operating in parallel, and in Fig. 2 is shown such anapplication of our invention.

If the total motion of the contact 12 due to the load-responsive devicebetween the limits of no load and full load is made equal to or greaterthan the total motion of the contact due to the valve-rod between thelimits of full-open valve and closed valve, then there would ordinarilybe unstable equilibrium in the combination, for it is impossible thatthe regulators of all t-he alternators should respond simultaneously andmake the circuit controlling the valve-rod. One alternator will move tohave its gate opened ahead of the others, and as a consequence will takemore load than the others. Its load-responsive device will thereforecause its valve-controlling circuit to remain closed until the valve ofits prime mover has been forced wide open. In the arrangement disclosedthis may be prevented and the governing effected without any such unevendistribution of the load by any means which will cause a decreasingspeed with an increasing load. This means might be either that abovedescribed-viz., making the vertical movement of the contact-fingercaused by the movement ICO of the valve-rod corresponding to any givenincrement of load greater than that caused by the load-responsivedevice, so that the contact will be broken before the valve reaches aposition corresponding to the increased load-or the same end might beattained by causing the position of the disks 15 and 1lto be dependentupon the load as well as upon the speed, so that although the movementof the contact l2 occasioned by the valve--stem is less than thatoccasioned by the load-responsive device and in order of itself to breaklthe contact the valve must be moved to a position beyond that necessaryto take care of the increment in load, yet the sim ultaneous movement ofthe disks 13 and la tends to break the controlling-circuit on anincrease of load before the valve has opened to the full amountcorresponding to that load.

We desire it to be clearly understood that the instrumentalities shownin the drawings are largely illustrative; that for the speedresponsivedevice any actuating` means, whether electrically or mechanicallyoperated, sensitive to speed changes may be employed; that the ammetershown is merely significant of any form of load-responsive device; thatour invention in this particular feature broadly covers any means,either electrical or mechanical, for this purpose; that the mechanismfor opening and closing the gates may be replaced by any other suitablemechanism, and that it is only necessary that the connections betweenthe loadresponsive device and the valve-rod should be such that theeffect of the load-responsive device under changes in load becompensated for, or under or over compensated for, by the resultingmovement of the valve-rod. It is also to be observed, as before stated,that this system of control is not limited to a load consisting ofelectric generators, but may be used for any form of load, electrical ormechanical, which the prime movers may be called upon to carry.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a prime xnover,ineans for controlling the powersupplied thereto, and means actuating said latter means, under theiniiuence of a speed-responsive device, a load-responsive device and thesaid powersupply-controlling means; substantially as described.

2. The combinationof a prime mover, an electric generator driventhereby, a valve for said prime mover, means for actuating said valve,an electric circuit controlling said actuating means, a switch for saidcircuit, and means for controlling said switch, including aload-responsive device, a speed-responsive device and means associatedwith the valve.

3. The combination of a prime mover, an electric generator driventhereby, a valve for said prime mover, a load-responsive device adaptedto cause a movement of said valve with changes in load, and means forcausing said movement to cease before the valve position correspondingto suoli increased load has been reached; substantially as described.

4. The combination of a prime mover, a valve therefor, aspeed-responsive device for actuating said valve, a load-responsivedevice also adapted to actuate said valve, and means operated by thevalve for stopping such actuation when its proper movement has beeneffected; substantially as described.

5. The combination of a prime mover, a valve therefor, an electricgenerator, a speedresponsive device, and a load-responsive device,cooperatively controlling said valve, and means forstopping the movementof the valve, when it has reached a given position; substantially asdescribed.

G. The combination of an electric generator, a controlling mechanismtherefor, coperatively actuated by a speed-responsive device and aload-responsive device, and means for automatically causing the stoppageofsaid mechanism when the proper control has been effected;substantially as described.

7. The combination of two or more prime movers, valve mechanismstherefor, electric generators driven thereby and connected in parallel,means for independently controlling such valve mechanisms through thecoperative iniiuence of a speed-responsive device and a load-responsivedevice, and means associated with said valve mechanisms adapted to causea decrease in speed with increase in load; substantially as described.

S. The combination of a prime mover, a valve therefor, and a controllingmechanism for the valve cooperatively actuated by a speed-responsivedevice, a load-responsive device and a device responsive to the valvemovement; substantially as described.

9. The combination of two or more prime movers, independent power-supplymechanisms therefor, electric generators adapted to be driven therebyand connected in parallel, load-responsive devices adapted to increaseor diminish the power-supply with changes in load and means for solimiting the effect of the load-responsive devices as to cause adecrease in speed with an increase in load.

10. The combination of two or more prime movers, independentpower-'supply mechanisms therefor, load-responsive devices forcontrolling said mechanisms and means for causing a decrease in speedwith increase in load.

11. The combination of a prime mover, an electric generator driventhereby and means for under-compensating in the power-supply of theprime mover for an increase or decrease in load upon the generator.

12. The combination with a prime mover, of a dynamo-electric machineadapted to be driventhereby, a valve for the prime mover, a controllingelement for said valve, a speedresponsive device adapted by its movementto bring said element into a position of control, a load-responsivedevice also adapted by IOO IOS

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its movement to bring said element into a position of control, and meansto negative their effect on the controlling element by the movement ofthe valve; substantially as described.

13. The combination of a prime mover, a dynamo electric machine driventhereby, means for controlling the power supplied to the prime mover,means actuating said latter means under the iniiuence of aspeed-responsive device and a load-responsive device, and connectionsbetween the power-supply-controlling` means, and the actuating,` meanswhereby the effect of the latter is modified substantially as described.

14. The combination of a prime mover, a dynamo electric machine driventhereby, means for controlling the power supplied to the prime mover, aspeed-responsive device and a load-responsive device actuating saidcontrolling means and adapted to cooperate or oppose each others action,and means associated with the valve to negative the action of eitherorbothby the movement ofthe valve; substantially as described.

l5. The combination of two or more prime movers, independentpower-supply mechanisms therefor, dynamo electric machines driventhereby and operating in parallel, and means for under-compensating inthe powersupply of any prime mover for variations in speed or load;substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We ai'tix our signatures in presence of twoWitnesses.

PAUL M. LINCOLN. LEWIS B. STILLWELL.

Vitnesses to the signature of P. M. Lincoln:

PHILIP P. BARTON, H. G. SMITH.

lVit-nesses to signature ci L. B. Stillwell:

W. E. RUNDLE, CHAs. H. NIKON,

